The Old Raffles Place

they make delicious traditional Singaporean dishes and nice waiters and waitresses.

For those who were in Melbourne last night, you will be aware of the slightly inclement weather conditions that saw torrential rain, hail, and freezing cyclonic winds dominate the evening. My foodie work colleague, let’s call her Deb, for that is her name, wanted to treat us all to dishes that she loved growing up, and so arranged a night at The Old Raffles Place for about ten of her (self proclaimed) nearest and dearest workmates. I must admit, leaving work, I was desperately wishing we were venturing out for catch-​ups on another night, but into the wind and rain we went.
Our journey ended at Old Raffles in Colingwood, with a night of gorgeous food in an interesting setting (though my vegan /​vegetarian options were very limited… and there was the rather ominous ‘most dishes are cooked with pork lard. We are not a vegetarian restaurant’ disclaimer on the back of the menu). Eating at Old Raffles is really like eating at your Grandparents’ house… with more fairy lights. Because of the size of our group, we had a table in the back room, and arrived to «Who Wants to be a Millionaire» on the TV, quite amusing in a silly charming way (but yes, we turned it off straight away… my palate tolerates neither meat, nor Eddie McGuire). The décor proudly screams 80s (in my humble opinion), and a visit to the bathroom is an adventure of its own, but I kind of loved the daggy factor /​family feel of this place… and the food!!! I ordered the tofu vegetable curry (number 44) as the safest non-​meat eating option on the menu, and it was delicious. My carnivorous colleagues ordered a range of dishes to share, with Deb at the helm to offer her expert guidance, and there were ‘mmmmms’ all around. The food arrived at lightning speed, and staff were extremely friendly and obliging throughout the evening. I would wager that if you are a meat eating, Singaporean cuisine seeking, adventurous journey to the bathroom liking Melbourne type, you will be enamoured of this place, check it out. For my vegetarian /​vegan inclined friends, this is perhaps not the place for us, despite the deliciousness of the number 44 dish (though it does stand as an option at least if you find yourself there one night amidst a sea of friends!)
In summary, four stars for The Old Raffles Place, based on the amount of mmmmm-​ing emanating from my workmates as they sampled their generously portioned dishes, and of course for my own little bit of tofu vegetable curry heaven!

I swear this places pushes my buttons in so many ways that it’s starting to creep me out.
1. The interior reminds me of my uncle’s house. (Weird)
2. Music — Barry Manilow (Music my Dad plays in the car)
3. The food tastes like something you get out of the 90s in Singapore. (Great)
Teh Tarik is made to order, and a waiter will come to your table to pour the tea himself. HOW COOL IS THAT?

I’ve walked past The Old Raffles Place so many times in so many years, and thought «I must go there one day.» I finally made it last weekend when my family and I had walked up and down Smith Street trying to find somewhere to eat out, then decided to try a Thai restaurant on Johnston Street. As we walked past Raffles, I suggested we go there as I figured Singaporean food is generally milder than Thai and therefore more acceptable to a fussy four-year-old’s palate. It was a Saturday night, but we were pretty early so it wasn’t very busy and they let us take the stroller into the dining room (which is usually too crowded).
I was tempted by the laksa (next time…), but ordered their signature dish: Hainanese chicken rice. My partner ordered stir-​fried chicken noodles, and we also got some spring rolls. Warning: objects in the menu may be larger than they appear! I was surprised by how generous the servings were, having made assumptions about their size based on the low price and small photos in the menu. All tasted great, mild but full of flavour.
Very happy with the meal and the service — the restaurant is run by a lovely Chinese Singaporean couple who fussed over my son and the wait staff were friendly and efficient. The kitchen is totally visible from the dining room and you essentially walk through it when you enter the establishment (as well as when finding the toilets which is a bit scary). Other than that the atmosphere is charming, plenty of relics and photos of colonial Singapore on the wall. The food was great, and being so nearby to my house I will definitely will be back to try the laksa, and the lobak, and… well, pretty much everything else!

I had my birthday here a couple of years back and had a ball.
Living around the corner from this joint, it was a favourite for take away or low key mid week meals out. They have an extensive menu here but for the most part it’s Singaporese and Malaysian-​inspired and these are some of my favourite flavour combinations.
It’s a basic looking place with a large kitchen and lots of rooms for dining. They do private rooms for large groups and the banquet arrangement meant we were eating leftovers for a week after my birthday dinner.
They did kind of screw up the wait times for our food once and we got too drunk while waiting. But they are such nice folk, and they do beautiful food, so I’ll forgive them that one indiscretion. Plus, it’s over the road from the Tote. And Raffles was a pirate (of sorts).

One chilly evening, after missing the tram and at least half a dozen taxi’s that suddenly claimed to be occupied (with no one in them), we decided to stop at The Old Raffles Place in Johnston Street. It was actually meant to be a drink-​stop but the greedy pigs in us couldn’t resist the sweet aromas coming from the open concept kitchen. And so we ate.
Our intended «drink-​stop» began with the Lobak (deep fried chinese spiced pork wrapped in beancurd skin) and soon followed with an order of chai tau kueh (fried carrot cake). Not only did we enjoy both dishes but let’s just say, if The Old Raffles Place had a Facebook page — we would definitely be clicking on «like» — but since it doesn’t, this is the next best option.
Since that first visit, we’ve been back a couple of times and highly recommend trying everything on the menu — go slow and work your way through. I love that the restaurant is old-​school with the walls adorned with black-​and-​white newspaper clippings with stories and photographs of people and places in Singapore. Even though it’s just a restaurant, there’s a certain element of charm and authenticity about this place that just keeps customers coming back for more.